NEW YORK—The Philippines is expected to again make its presence felt in the United Nations following the election yesterday of two Filipino diplomats to important positions in the 63rd Session of the General Assembly, the Philippine Mission to the United Nations announced.

In his report to Foreign Affairs Secretry Alberto Romulo, Ambassador Hilario Davide Jr., Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said Second Secretary Elmer Cato and Second Secretary Patrick Chuasoto were elected to positions in two of the six main committees of the General Assembly.

Davide said Cato was elected vice chairman of the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization), while Chuasoto was elected rapporteur of the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary). He said the two diplomats were elected by acclamation by the General Assembly based on the endorsement of their nominations by the Asian Group in the United Nations.

The General Assembly also elected former Minister Miguel d’ Escoto Brockmann of Nicaragua as president of the 63rd Session, as well as the vice presidents of the General Assembly as well as the chairmen, vice chairmen and rapporteurs of the six main committees.

The Fourth Committee is in charge of issues related to decolonization, peacekeeping, information, outer space and Palestine, while the Fifth Committee considers and approves the UN budget, as well as those of specialized agencies.

The two Filipino diplomats will serve as members of the bureau of the Fourth and Fifth Committees and will help steer the committee meetings when the 63rd Session of the General Assembly opens in September.

The last time the Philippines was a member of the bureau of any of the main committees of the General Assembly was in 2003 when it was elected chair of the Sixth Committee (Legal).

Cato and Chuasoto joined the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1998 and 1999, respectively, and were assigned to the Philippine Mission in New York in 2003. Both served as Alternate Representatives to the Security Council during the Philippine membership in that body from 2004 to 2005.

Besides representing the Philippines in the Fourth Committee, Cato oversees Philippine participation in UN peacekeeping operations. Chuasoto, on the other hand, represents the Philippines in the Fifth Committee and also handles issues in the Security Council as well as Asean concerns in the United Nations.

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NEW YORK—The Philippines is expected to again make its presence felt in the United Nations following the election yesterday of two Filipino diplomats to important positions in the 63rd Session of the General Assembly, the Philippine Mission to the United Nations announced.

Six men, including two Canadians who are working for a mining company in Davao del Sur, were abducted on Tuesday by a group of local bandits.

Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales appealed to President Arroyo to redeclare the Marikina watershed as protected area to save Metro Manila from experiencing a water crisis.